Surgical splint



Jan. 6, 1942. F. w. RoBER'rs SURGICAL SPLINT Filed April 26, 1941 4 Sheets-Shee'tl v1 ,www

Jan. 6, 1942.

F. W. ROBERTS Filed April 26, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 1 VENTOR. FP50 4790615797152 BWM Jan. 6, 1942. F. w. ROBERTS SURGICAL SPLINT Filed April 26, 1941 4 `SheelZS-Sheel 3 4 7 INVENTOR. F/Qf W. @oef/Ws,

Jan. 6, 1942. F, w ROBERTS 2,269,065

SURGICAL SPLINT Filed April 26, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. F/Pf //1/. Hoef/Pf6 Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STAT ES PAT ENT 0F FICE SURGICAL .SPLINT Fred W. Roberts, Portland, Oreg. Application April 26, 19.41, Serial No. 390,618 v 1 claim.

This invention relates'to an emergency splint for supporting fractures of accident victims, to put them in safe condition for -ambulance transportation to hospitals, orr the like, while keeping facturedbones separated by tension superior to f the expected reex muscular action that would otherwise cause rough ends of= fractured bones to lacerate the victims flesh.

I am aware that many types' ofapparatus have been devised for such purposes,kthe majority of which require a different appliancefor each type of fracture, being, in fact, so complicated that a person of unusual skill is required to select the proper piece required for a given case, select from a large assortment'ofstraps and bandages to properly apply it and consume a considerably longer time than will be necessary with a device that is properly simplied.

The object of the present invention is simplicity, with a superior degree of effectiveness and versatility which favors application to su-pport fractures, such as arm bones, shoulder fractures, hip, knee and leg fractures, or to a very effective extent combinations of them, with a minimum selection of support straps 'andband-f'l ages.

of such relatively simple construction and number of parts and relatively small compass that it, or several sets, can be readily carried in high- Way patrolautomobiles and applied by highway patrol officers withoutv surgical training upon very simpleinstruction being given.

In delineating my invention and its useful features, I have drawn typical illustrations of the splintV in use, partially showing its versatility and ability to serve with; excellence in a considerable number of' widely varying circumstances, its very simplicity being the important feature.

Drawings accompany and form a part of this specication, in which the rstthree iigures are used. to show the construction of the splint and theA remainder to illustrate its application as mentioned.

In the drawings:

Figure I is a plan ofr my splint, showing the telescopicelements thereoffslightly extended;

FigureII is an `Orthographie projection of Figure I;

Figure III isa section of Figure I at III-III, Figure I FigureIVusone-'of the drawings showing application of the splint, in this case to a leg frac- Another object of the invention is a splint set i ture, hip fracture or a combination-of these two types of injury;

Figure V shows the splint applied to an arm fractureof the lower arm bonesfor elbow and for the upper arm bone-the application will vary only in the placement of the arm straps;

Figure VI shows the application of the splint to a broken knee cap; and

Figure VII is a side view of the application for hip fracture, femur, tibia, bula or any combination of these injuries;

Figure VIII is a modied form of strap means for determining the amount of tension applied to the flexible portion of the splint.

vReferring now to the structural drawings, Figs. I to III inclusive. I isa substantially rigid bar member, made from a strong piece of metal, preferably aluminum alloy, and having both edges turned inwardly to form oppositely facing longitudinal grooves as shown inl Figures I, II, and III at Ia and Ib.

This flanging and inturning the edges will render the piece substantially rigid under the magnitude of forces to be expected in applying it and this is important. The member I is provided with cross slots 2 at both ends, as shown; though iingers made'by notching the end may be added or substituted; and a clamp member 3 may be riveted or autogenously welded in place near the opposite end as shown in Figures I, II, andIII. Both endsy of the member I are 'also provided with apertures 2A for a purpose to be hereinafter pointed out.

The clamp member 3 has a screw 4 that is adapted to frictional contact With the flexible slide 5 kwhereby the latter may beheld in selectedl positions relative to the bar member I. Both ends of the slide are rounded, as shown, to prevent snagging the clothing, bandages, or the flesh of the patient being dealt with.

, The flexibility of the slide 5 is a very important feature as will be pointed out in connection with descriptions of the drawingsshowing the application of the splint. Light weight is very desirable combined with springiness and relatively high strength. Both ends of thek slide 5 are also provided with apertures 5A. These apertures and those at 2A in the rigid member I are useful in suspending the splinted limb of a patient in an elevated position in an ambulance or the like by looping a cord through the apertures and over a suitable support.

I have found that alength of about 40-inches1 the rigid bar of about 13 gage strong aluminum alloy, such as dural, and the flexible slide of 11 gage; and the slide should be a smooth fit within the grooves formed by inturning the edges of the rigid bar. The slide will be about 31/2 Wide and if made of one of the strong aluminum alloys and of 11 gage flat stock, the required springiness will be pretty close to what is needed. The rigid bar will be somewhat Wider so that the slide can telescope into it properly and all outside exposed edges Will be rounded. If made according to the dimension given, an overall effective extension to hold fractures on a six foot individual is attainable or the splint may be adjusted in most cases to hold a fracture on a child.

In emergency preparation of an accident victim for transportation to a hospital, the important thing is to so splint the fractured bones that reflex muscular action does not draw jagged ends of bone into the flesh, which will invariably occur unless the broken ends are forcibly held apart.

Considering Figure IV which will be assumed to represent an accident victim having fractures of the femur, both lower leg bones and hip bones, or any lesser number of the combina tion.

The splint is extended until the exible slide is far enough above the crotch so that a crotch strap 20 will pull upwardly and outwardly, the latter under the springly influence of the slide. A boot 2l will be held under regulated tension to the slot 2 in the flexible slide 5, or bar, either by placing a spring scale 22 in the hook-up, or by the use of a graduated pull strap 22A having a scale 22B graduated in units of stress and fractions thereof for determining the amount of tractio-n applied to the fracture.

Because the slide is springy, the reaction against the strap 20 will be just the same tension as shown on the spring scale, or that shown on the pull strap. The leg bone fractures will all be held apart b-y the same amount of force, say 15 pounds for an average adult, as will suffice to resist the involuntary muscular contraction mentioned hereinbefore. This is easily regulated, all at once, b-y one pull strap, such as 25, the upper connections having been made rst. Since the surfaces of the splint are smooth, the application of intermediate straps will not interfere.

Intermediate strap bandages, such as 26, 21, 2B, and 29, hold the splint to the injured parts; and if hip bone fracture is present, the body strap 353 willbe employed.

It will be at once apparent that application of the splint and holding devices could have been done by one even reasonably expert, in much less time than it has taken to read the foregoing description of how it is done.

I am aware that spring scales have been proposed, but not in combination with an oppositely springy slide. Heretofore, there has been proposed a quite complicated metal structure and harness that obviously requires several times the adjustment; nor was spring tension on broken bones equal and opposite as with my splint.

Figure V represents a victim dressed with splint and bandages for a lower arm fracture. The same spring scale 22 and lower strap arrangement Will be employed as in Figure IV; the strap 20 is now placed under the armpit with the flexible slide well above the shoulder.

The mitten 2I2 is buckled up close and holds the arm in tension with thespringy reaction sustained by the armpit, the bandages, such as 26 and 21, being last applied. This again shows that spring tension is present at both ends of the splint, which is one of the essential features of my splint assembly.

Figure VI illustrates the application of the splint to a knee cap fracture. (The boot 2l is used as in other applications, also the spring scale 22, supplemented by the springy slide 5 which is here turned end for end.) Additionally a support pad 3|, which will preferably be a block of fabric covered sponge rubber, will support the under side of the knee. This pad is useful in case of hip fracture, being shown in Figures IV and VII.

Figure VII is a view of the same application shown in Figure IV, being taken at right angles to the latter View, the additional detail being deemed advisable since this application will be used far oftener than any other.

It Will be especially noted that in practically every application of my splint, the spring scale applies resilient tension to an injured member, at one end of the splint, While the spring slide 5 reacts at the other end; hence the very important result, that the tension is the same at both ends. This tension will vary according to the judgment of the person applying it, considering the physique of the patient.

The words spring scale are used because a reasonably correct indication of the amount of tension actually applied is of great assistance to he person using the splint, however great his skill and experience; hence the device Will be regarded as the same thing whether or not there is a pound indicating scale.

While the slide 5 is an integral part of my splint and the spring scale is preferably a separate part, attached by straps or the like, it is just as much a part of the splint as either of the other two members, since the overall advantage cannot be realized without it. v

Having fully disclosed my invention and widely shown the manner of its best use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A splint for fractures comprising an elongated flat rigid bar of greater length than that of a human limb being dealt with and having two of its edges turned inwardly to form oppositely facing longitudinal grooves to afford rigidity to the bar throughout its length, a flexible flat plate equal in length to that of the rigid bar and slidably embraced by the longitudinal grooves in said rigid barV whereby either end of the exible plate may be extended beyond the ends of the rigid bar, means for locking the flexible plate in any of its extended positions with respect to the rigid bar, said flexible plate adapted to be bent as a bow throughout the length of its extended portion with respect to the rigid bar, strap fastening means for attaching the rigid bar to a limb, bending means for the flexible plate comprisingV straps removably secured at opposite ends of `the splint on ,the same side thereof to bend the extended portion of the flexible plate, means formed on one end of said last mentioned straps for attaching the end of the limb to the end of the flexible plate, additional straps removably secured to the splint and adapted to attach to a limb on both sides of a fracture in such manner that the springiness of the bent portion of the flexible plate holds the fracture under tension.

FRED W. ROBERTS. 

